HP Support had my hopes high:
"I understand that you are experiencing the issue with changing the screen resolution to 1680 x1050 on your
HP Pavilion Slimline s3230.uk PC.
I will be glad to assist you.
The above issue occurs due to the graphic card driver update. I have verified the product specifications and found that the Windows Vista Home Premium with Windows Media
Center was bundled with your PC.
I have also checked that the Radeon HD2350 (wildcat) graphics card was bundled with the PC and it support the
2D Display Modes 1680x1050 60 Hz(refresh rate).
I request you to download and install the ATI Radeon HD Graphics Driver Update. Please click on the below provided web link to download the update : ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software10/COL22401/pv-59174-1/ sp37436.exe ====Installation Instructions====
1. Click the Download Only button.
2. At the File Download screen, click the Save button.
3. At the Save As screen, save the file to your Desktop.
4. If a message appears stating that the file already exists, click YES to overwrite file.
5. Double-click the icon for the update downloaded to your desktop, and then click NEXT.
6. Follow on-screen instructions.
7. If prompted to restart the system upon completion of the update, click YES and allow system to restart.
The above update will resolves the issue where the proper screen resolution settings are not automatically
selected for certain monitors, including the HP w2408h, HP w2207h and Compaq v220 . I hope the above troubleshooting will help you to resolve the issue. If you need further assistance, please write back to us with PC information and we will be glad to assist you.
For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit ourWeb site at: <http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare>
Have a Nice Day!
"

And then after my reply
" If the PC supports the 1680x1050 resolution, it will shown in Display settings. As you have informed that the PC is not showing the 1680x1050 resolution in the display settings it indicates that 1680x1050 resolution is not supported by your PC bundled video card.
This should resolve the issue. If you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.
"
I have since followed ATI's removal and update routine and nothing has changed so I'll give it a day or two as there is actual work waiting to be done here. Nagging feeling is that I'm looking at an interpolated resolution and it could be better if HP got their collective fingers out. Not impressed. I'll check out other suggestions as and when time allows. Cheers DS

Derek_Simpson

Replied in the following topics

Pixel aspect ratio